1-1     By:  Gutierrez (Senate Sponsor - Ellis)               H.B. No. 2531

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 27, 1997;

 1-3     April 29, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Jurisprudence; May 13, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 13, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the civil liability of certain persons for a child's

 1-9     conduct.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 41.002, Family Code, is amended to read

1-12     as follows:

1-13           Sec. 41.002. LIMIT OF DAMAGES.  Recovery for damage caused by

1-14     wilful and malicious conduct is limited to actual  damages, not to

1-15     exceed $25,000 [$15,000] per occurrence, plus court costs and

1-16     reasonable attorney's fees.

1-17           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-18     applies only to a cause of action that accrues on or after that

1-19     date.  A cause of action that accrued before the effective date of

1-20     this Act is governed by the law in effect at the time the cause of

1-21     action accrued, and that law is continued in effect for that

1-22     purpose.

1-23           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-25     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-26     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-27     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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